Locomotive tender



2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. MJ/M M N m\\ QN m. WN w N m ML 2 iiT /m ,AW \4 SNN NN ww wm nw www .uw ,QN 5 ww ww w .QN NAT NNW iHli /QN INVENTOR KMU] 2 Sheets-Shea?l 2 E. A. TURNIER LoQoMoTIvE TENDER Filed July 22, 1952 'tender as a Whole.

Patented Apr. 7, 1.936

LOCOMGTIVE TENDER Edwin Archer Turner, New York, N. Y., assignor t0 The Standard Stoker Company, Incorporated, a corporation `oi Delaware Application July 22, 1932, Serial No. 623,960

6 Claims.

This invention relates to railway rolling stock and consists in a novel tender structure of the type equipped with a fuel conveyor of a stoking device.

Ilhe present tendency in railroad operation is toward the adoption of extended and faster locomotive runs. 'lo this end all unnecessary stops are eliminated, but stops must be made to replenish the supply of coal and water. Reduction of the number of such stops materially increases the running time of the trains. This invention has for its main object the provision of a locomotive tender of greater coal and water capacities than tenders o f past practice whereby longer runs may be made with less frequent stops for refueling.

Other objects of the invention reside in the relation and arrangement of the tender .coal and water compartments with the fuel conveyor and in the provision of a novel and improved conveyor peculiarly adapted for use with the locomotive tender of the invention. These objects and the advantages of .the invention will be apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure 1 is a central vertical longitudinal section'through the front end portion of the locomotive tender embodying the present -invention;

Figure 2 is a plan viewvof Figure 1 -taken in section on the line 2-2 thereof;

Figure 3 is a transverse cross section through the fuel conveyor on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure Ll is a fragmentary enlarged sectional View taken on the line 4--4 of Figure 2; and

"Figure 5 is a similar vertical sectional view taken on the Aline 5-5 of Figure 2.

On the drawings, I0 represents the locomotive i f It is provided with a water bottom underframe I I, the coal bunker I2 and the water compartment I3. A stoker fuel conveyor trough HI is formed with the side partition plates Illfthe rear partition plate I6 and the front wall I1 of the `tender to form a water tight partition between the coal bunker Aand the water compartment, land to provide a closure for the latter at the front ,end of the tender'.

y Instead of providing the usual stoker compartment to house 1the fuel conveyor, the present in vention contemplates forming the conveyor trough I li within the water compartment YI3 in a manner to provide a space as at I8 between the underside o f the trough and lthe top wall I9 of the underframe Yto permit the circulation of water from .one side of the tender to the other. This (c1. Y10a-234) construction materially increases the water carrying capacity of the tender.

The coal bunker I2 is substantially the same width and height as that provided in the Aconventional form .of tenders but its overall `length has been increased as much as possible permissible with the size controlling factors such as turntables, engine stalls and like equipment. In a tender of this lengthened form the stoker conveyor necessarily must .be much longer and in some instances, twice the length of the longest conveyor heretofore used. The drawings disclose a conveyor substantially twenty-five feet long. With this length of conveyor, it is impractical to form the fuel advancing means of a one piece construction as is the customary practice; so as shown on lthe `drawings the advancing means comprises a sectional screw conveyor including the sections v20 and 2l of substantially the same length universally vconnected at 22. To main* tain the screw sections in proper position within the trough I4 and to avoid buckling or swinging mot-ion thereof, the bearing member 23 is provided. Heretofore, the use of a bearing member ina fuel conveyor has restricted the free passage of the lcoal. This restriction results in what is known as a boiling action of the coal. In other words, the coal accumulates in the zone of the bearing member sufhcient to pack under the slide plates -24 causing excessive force to revolve the screw conveyor and insufficient delivery of coal. To obviate this difficulty the vane 2Iar of the screw section l2I adjacent the bearing member V2 3 is enlarged as indicated at 25.

Should this enlarged vane be extended much beyond the bearing 23 or vused on the rearward end of the screw section 2l), the coal would be conveyed to the crusher 26 more rapidly than the enlarged portion 2l of the vane 20a, would carry the coal away. Therefore, the screw conveyor isconstructed throughout its llength in such a manner that the rearward flights will convey forwardly no more coal than can be carried away by the vanes 21.

The enlarged vane 25 is of sufficient size and capacity vto advance the coal under the bearing member 2 3 to avoid boiling or Vany restriction to the free flow of the coal from a point rearward to a `point forward of the bearing. In order to utilize the enlarged vane, the arcuate bottom and the sidewalls of the trough I4 are offset as at 28 opposite the vane 25. From Figure `3, it will be observed that the arcuate portion 29 of the bearing member closely fits the enlarged vane 2,5 to prevent lateral @Yemeni thereof,

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while at the same time, permitting free passage of the coal directly under the arcuate portion and at each side thereof through the channels 30 and 3|. Preferably, the bearing member 23 is disposed slightly rearward of the universal joint 22 so that access may be had thereto. In practice the rearward portion of the vane 2|a of the screw section 2| will advance materially less coal than can be easily moved forward by the enlarged vane portion 25 and in like manner the rearward. end portion of the vane 20a of the screw section 2li will advance no greater amount of coal than can be moved forwardly by the enlarged vane portion 2l. It will be understood that the capacity of the rearward end portion of the screw section 2|] is at least equal to or preferably, slightly in excess of the capacity of the rearward end portion of the screw section 2|.

The screw conveyor is driven from its rearward end by the gear 32 and the pinion 33 disposed in the water tight housing 34 formed with the trough I4. The pinion is mounted on a shaft 35 coupled at 36 to the forwardly extending drive shaft 3l extending forwardly through the transverse wall 38 of the trough forming a part 0f the front wall of the tender. Since the drive shaft 3l' is disposed in the water compartment, means is provided to form a seal at its forward end to prevent loss of water through the front wall of the tender and similar means is provided to form a seal on the shaft 35 to prevent passage of water into the gear housing 34. For this purpose as best shown in Figures 2 and 4, the shaft 3T passes through a packing box corn- \prising the inwardly cylindrical extension 40 of `the trough front wall 33 containing a bushing 4| and the packing gland 42. Suitable packing is interposed between the gland and the bushing as indicated at 43. A similar packing box is formed with the housing 34 for the purpose heretofore explained. This box comprises a gland on the pinion shaft 35 to compress suitable packing as at 4G against the bushing 41 contained in the cylindrical extension 48 of the housing. An aperture 49 in the bushing 4l registers with a drain pipe 5i] extending downwardly through the tender underframe exterior of the water compartment. Any leakage of the water through the packing 46 will pass through the drain pipe 53 and thus not enter the gear housing. This construction has the advantage that the drippage of water from the drain pipe will serve as an indication that the packing gland must be tightened or the packing replenished. Each of the packing glands 42 and 45 may be provided with fastening bolts as at 5|.

Those familiar with the art will recognize that the described structure provides a novel locomotive tender and fuel conveying mechanism of increased coal and water carrying capacities and wherein the fuel advancing means may be made in sections and provided with a suitable bearing without causing any restriction to the desired conveyance of the coal.

I claim:

l. In a locomotive tender having a water storage compartment and a fuel bunker, the combination of partition plates between the compartment and bunker, a stoker trough in communication with the bunker and disposed within the compartment so that it will contact the water therein, said trough and partition plates forming a water tight partition between the compartment and the bunker, a conveyor screw in said trough, a bearing member disposed in the trough and mounted over a portion of the screw intermediate the ends thereof, that portion of the screw underneath the bearing member formed with vanes of greater diameter than the vanes of the screw adjacent each side of the bearing member, the walls of the trough opposite that portion of the Vane underneath the bearing member being recessed to receive the enlarged vane portion of the screw, a housing at the rear of the trough enclosing gearing for driving the screw, and a drive shaft operatively connected with said gearing.

2. In a locomotive tender having a water storage compartment and a fuel bunker, the cornbination of partition plates between said compartment and bunker, a stoker trough in communication with the fuel bunker and disposed within the compartment so that it will contact the water therein, said trough and partition plates forming a water tight partition between the compartment and the bunker, conveying means in said trough comprising a rear screw section and a forward screw section, means flexibly connecting said sections at their adjacent ends, a bearing member disposed in the trough rearward of said connecting means and positioned to extend over the forward end portion of the rearward screw section, that portion of the rearward screw section underneath the bearing member being of greater fuel carrying capacity than the rearward portion of said section and of the rearward end portion of the forward screw section, a housing at the rear of said trough enclosing gearing for driving said conveying means, and a drive shaft operatively connected with said gearing.

3. In a locomotive tender having a water storage compartment and. a fuel bunker, the combination of partition plates between the compartment and bunker, a stoker trough in communication with the bunker and disposed within said compartment so that it will contact the water therein, said trough and partition plates forming a water tight partition between the compartment and the bunker, conveying means in said trough comprising rearward and forward screw sections, means flexibly connecting said screw sections at their adjacent ends, a bearing member disposed in said trough rearward of said connecting means and disposed over the forward end portion of the rearward screw section, said forward end portion of the rearward screw section being of greater fuel carrying capacity than the rearward portion of said section and being also of greater fuel carrying capacity than the rearward portion of said forward screw section, the forward portion of said forward screw section being of greater fuel carrying capacity than the rearward portion of each of the screw sections, and drive mechanism associated with said conveying means.

4. In a locomotive tender having a fuel bunker, the combination of a stoker trough mounted on the tender in communication with the bunker and disposed thereunder, conveying means in said trough comprising rearward and forward screw sections, means flexibly connecting said screw sections at their adjacent ends, a bearing member disposed in said trough rearward of said connecting means and disposed over the forward end portion of the rearward screw section, said forward end portion of the rearward screw section being of greater fuel carrying capacity than the rearward portion of said section and being also of greater fuel capacity than the rearward portion of said forward screw section, the forward portion of said forward screw section being of greater fuel carrying capacity than the rearward portion of each of the screw sections, and drive mechanism associated with said conveying means.

5. In combination, a fuel bunker having an elongated opening for the discharge of fuel therefrom, a plurality of slidable plates controlling the discharge of fuel through said opening, a trough disposed below said plates in a position to receive fuel discharged through said opening, conveying means in said trough comprising rearward and forward screw sections ieXibly connected at their adjacent ends, and a bearing member mounted in said trough over the forward end portion of the rearward screw section rearward of the iieXible connection between the sections, that portion of the rearward screw section beneath said bearing member being enlarged with respect to the rearward end portion of the section, the enlargement being of a size suicient to increase the carrying capacity thereof to prevent boiling of the fuel against said slide plates directly rearward of the bearing member.

6. In -a locomotive tender having a fuel bunker, a Stoker trough in communication with the bunker, a conveyor screw in said trough, and a bearing member disposed in the trough and mounted over a portion of the screw intermediate the ends thereof, that portion of the screw underneath the bearing member formed with vanes of greater diameter than the vanes of the screw adjacent each side of the bearing member, the Walls of the trough opposite that portion of the vane underneath the bearing member being recessed to receive the enlarged vane portion of the screw.

E. ARCHER TURNER. 

